Full Text of HR0672 102nd General Assembly
HR0672 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Gentrification affects predominantly Black and | 3 | | Latino communities across the State of Illinois; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Gentrification involves the physical | 5 | | redevelopment of communities through investments in new | 6 | | housing, infrastructure, and businesses that lead to higher | 7 | | property values, rents, and property taxes, often replacing | 8 | | longstanding households and community institutions; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Gentrification also often involves cultural | 10 | | displacement, in which the norms and values of longtime, | 11 | | predominantly Black and Latino and working class residents are | 12 | | replaced by those of a newly-dominant, often whiter, and more | 13 | | middle class group of residents; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Gentrification has been exacerbated by the | 15 | | COVID-19 pandemic, with major losses of income and an | 16 | | estimated 320,000 Illinoisans facing eviction filings in | 17 | | January 2021; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Gentrification is driven by structural racism in | 19 | | the U.S. housing system, including race-based zoning, | 20 | | redlining, deed restrictions, contract selling, predatory | 21 | | lending, and other practices, which has blocked Black home |
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| 1 | | ownership and created stark and persistent inequalities in | 2 | | wealth and financial well-being between Black and white | 3 | | households in the State of Illinois; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Structural racism in the housing system | 5 | | reinforces wealth inequality between white and non-white | 6 | | households; the typical white family owns about $184,000 in | 7 | | family wealth versus just $38,000 for Latino families and | 8 | | $23,000 for Black families; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, This divide translates to massive differences in | 10 | | quality of life; owning a home or business in a neighborhood in | 11 | | which property values are appreciating is one of the primary | 12 | | ways of accumulating wealth in the United States, leaving | 13 | | Black and Latino families more reliant on home equity, reverse | 14 | | mortgages, and other sources to finance retirement than white | 15 | | families; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, The racial wealth gap restricts the progress of | 17 | | this country and is estimated to cost as much as $1.5 trillion | 18 | | in lost economic growth over the next decade; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus has called | 20 | | for legislation addressing housing, banking, and capital | 21 | | investment to eliminate barriers to economic opportunity in | 22 | | Black communities in its Economic Access, Equity and |
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| 1 | | Opportunity Pillar; therefore, be it
| 2 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 3 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 4 | | we believe that investments in business, home ownership, and | 5 | | community development in Black and Latino communities are | 6 | | essential for creating shared prosperity in our communities; | 7 | | and be it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That we recognize the importance of property | 9 | | values that come from new development and investment as a | 10 | | source of wealth for native populations; and be it further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That we commit to combating gentrification and | 12 | | displacement, to protect native populations as their | 13 | | communities change, and to support efforts to close the racial | 14 | | wealth gap in the State of Illinois; and be it further
| 15 | | RESOLVED, That we commit to studying the effects of | 16 | | gentrification and displacement in the State as well as | 17 | | studying solutions that will protect native populations and | 18 | | allow them to participate in the rebuilding of their | 19 | | communities, including but not limited to:
| 20 | | (1) Increasing investments in home repair for longtime | 21 | | Black and Latino residents, particularly for seniors in |
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| 1 | | the community on fixed incomes, through the Illinois | 2 | | Housing Development Authority's Single Family | 3 | | Rehabilitation Program; and
| 4 | | (2) Increasing opportunities for home ownership for | 5 | | Black and Latino residents through Illinois Housing | 6 | | Development Authority mortgages and down payment | 7 | | assistance as well as financial institutions regulated | 8 | | under the Illinois Community Reinvestment Act; and
| 9 | | (3) Expanding use of the Long Time Occupancy Homestead | 10 | | Property Tax Exemption, the Senior Citizen Assessment | 11 | | Freeze Homestead Exemption, the Homestead Improvement | 12 | | Exemption, and the Senior Citizen Tax Deferment in | 13 | | predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods; and
| 14 | | (4) Allowing communities to limit predatory rent | 15 | | increases for Black and Latino renters in gentrifying | 16 | | neighborhoods by repealing the Rent Control Preemption | 17 | | Act.
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